Many people have been or are currently hooked on the ever popular and growing genre of games we call Massively Multiplayer Online games, MMO for short. Many argue that the charm of an MMO is the ability to have an expansive experience that changes and never really ends, but there are some that argue the opposite and see a lot of satisfaction in a game that has a clear cut ending. Let the debate begin…
World of Warcraft is probably the poster child for the MMO genre of games and has millions glued to their computers. Luckily, I myself was in for a bit and managed to get out in time. WoW is one of the games that just never end, as there are so many side quests and loot to collect that the game never really finishes. Games like WoW are also constantly patched so that even if you get to a so-called end game dungeon and get the latest gear, a new patch or expansion will be released that will raise the level cap or change the newest epic gear.
The open-ended nature of MMO’s drives some gamers nuts. Not being able to say they have finished a game leaves them without a sense of accomplishment and forcing them to continue to play on and on, even when they no longer want to play anymore. For me, as a gamer ,the MMO genre was about building a character that was unique and watching it change as it developed more skills, talents, weapons, etc. For others, it boils down to a collection of items or proving that they have the strongest character with all the latest gear. Unfortunately, this never really happens since the game is ever changing.
Many gamers like the traditional style of game where you play through levels and have set points in a linear story. The main character has a specific purpose to either free his princess or the world or whatever else he/she needs to save and then is done. There is a bit of satisfaction playing through a game like Contra or Mario Brothers and reaching the end and knowing that you have concluded the epic tale. Seeing those glorious two words once you have completed a game has to bring a smile to your face, The End!
Many gamers will not even look at MMO’s because they believe there is no point in grinding out levels since at no given time there will be an end in sight. The game developers instead will continue to string you along and release newer items or quests to keep you grinding and playing until you totally lose interest. Other gamers believe that the traditional game that has a set ending is boring and does not provide the level of entertainment that the never ending video game can provide. All they need is a good MMO and internet connection.
What do you think?
11 Comments
Write a Comment»I’m all for a clear cut ending. My problem is when games give you a worthless cliffhanger that you saw coming 3 minutes into the game (Halo, Halo 2, Halo 3 all come to mind). Closure I am fine with, but many of these 6-8 hour games aren’t giving us a real ending, just a set up for the sequel.
MMOs are good until they lose their flavor, and they all lose their flavor at some point.
I’d have to go searching but a recent study was done and found that the average game does not finish games. What many think is a minority of the gaming industry is actually the ruling majority. Most people don’t play a game the whole way through. This isn’t surprising then that MMOs are gaining in popularity, a game where there’s never an end, there’s always some new content. It works well for that type of consumer, and if they’re in the majority, start making things for them.
I think most people aren’t finishing games because most modern games are not worth finishing.
Tru tha!
I personally like endings. Closure is a must!
As my girl tells me all the time, “todo tiene su final” (everything has an ending).
Or at the very least, everything should have an ending.
As an old RPG fan (Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star, Shining in the Darkness, and so on), I´ve become a very happy player of WoW. The never-ending characteristic appeals me a lot, since there’s always something new about it to explore. The old RPGs with a cut end always left me with a “I want some more” feeling… I actually missed the characters and the storyline in the same way I miss those in a good movie or book.
The solution for that in all those three industries have always been sequences. Those work ‘couse people want to go back to that imaginary place and meet again those imaginary friends he had made.
Since sequences usually suck, I am totallly pro never-ending games. I just feel that, at least in WoW, the immersion in the storyline and characters is greatly lower than old times RPGs. On the other hand, those characters are actually really people you can come to love or hate in real life.
Most times people don’t like endings, mainly in sad storylines,etc…..
Personally, I
I like a sad ending, if it brings closure to a good story. But if it’s the kind of ending where they kill everyone off at the end because they don’t know how else to end it, then that’s a waste of everyone’s time.
Well im a very happy player of wow and i like the fact that it never really finishes. Halo III left me with a sense of emptyness at the end. MMOGs never leave people feeling empty (unless they don’t like it) because there is always new content, and theres also the fact that in most MMOGs, if you get bored with one character, you can make another.
I actually hate leveling in the beginning with a new character because you feel so weak, but MMOGs do provide a specific content for different MMOG gamer.
A end in a game would be nice or atleast something steady to hold on… with my wow experience (it was bad) i had a feeling it would never end, u cant win the game…. and if someone else is a hardcore player how can a normal guy/girl win from the hardcore person. i think if they would make a game with both sides it would satified everyone :-).
When i started WoW it was so sweet to get lvl 60 and when i got my tier 2 (highest set for lvl 60 at that moment) WoW wanted to change lvl’s to 70 Poef* there goes my good gear worth nothing on lvl 62 anymore.
So for a hardcore player it wouldn’t matter because they would got plenty time or make it atleast but for the less active players of a game it would be ofc less.